A fashion influencer is getting praised online after her recent TikTok alleged that she boldly refused to switch seats on a flight so a family could sit together. And while you might think that scenario would leave a few parents rolling their eyes, her TikTok has actually gotten a lot of support, especially from moms who say they completely agree with this line of thinking.
The TikTok was shared earlier this week by Audrey Peters (@audreypeters)
In it, she raises a glass of champagne and smirks at the camera while sitting in what appears to be a first class cabin seat.
"When a family asks me to switch seats on the plane so they can sit together," the video text reads, followed by an emoji with one eyebrow raised.
@audreypeters No I’m not switching for a middle seat book your flights earlier babes #travel #traveltiktok #planetiktok #planes #parisfashionweek #paris #europe #plane ♬ original sound – Sunshynelove21
"No I'm not switching for a middle seat," she added in the caption, "book your flights earlier babes."
To reiterate her annoyance, Peters also chose some pretty pointed audio
In the background, viewers can hear the sound clip: "Girl, f–k them kids and f–k you too."
According to The Independent, the influencer was on a first-class flight to France at the time, heading to Paris Fashion Week. In fact, she'd opened up to fans about the upcoming trip in several previous videos, while starting to pack.
@audreypeters Replying to @halaitsamna Paris here I come #packwithme #parisfashionweek #fashionweek #toiletries #beautytiktok #packwithmeforatrip #packwithmeforatrip #france #paris #skincaretiktok #tiktokbeauty ♬ Zou Bisou Bisou – Gillian Hills
The TikTok immediately went viral and now has over 2 million views
It also appears to have gotten a lot of people riled up though few seem to be disagreeing with Peters.
"As a mom, I fully agree!" wrote one person. "It’s only okay if your new seat would be better than the one you paid for!!!"
"Your poor planning does not constitute an emergency for me," said someone else, who appeared to be quoting Stewie Griffin from an episode of Family Guy.
"I’m so sick of people thinking it’s ok to disrupt someone for their lack of planning," added another person.
Some people came at it from a logistical standpoint, saying that it's only appropriate in certain scenarios.
"If you’re asking to switch seats my new seat has to be equal or better than where I am now," one TikToker wrote. "Otherwise, no dice."
"Last time I got asked to switch seats the guy next to me bought me two drinks," another commenter added. "It was a win for me lol."
Believe it or not, one person actually said that their parents used to book their seats separately on purpose, just to prevent the siblings from fighting. (Honestly, that's kind of genius.)
But after watching the clip go viral, Peters gently followed up
In her own comment on the post, the influencer later clarified that the TikTok wasn't supposed to be taken so seriously.
"Guys if it wasn’t clear enough no one actually asked me to switch lol," wrote Peters. "I was just on a plane and thought of the joke."
Er … OK.
Others added that they suspected as much, seeing that she appeared to be traveling in business class where there aren't any true "middle" seats.
That said, this is a pretty hot topic in general
After all, it's become commonplace for some airlines to charge families extra money just to guarantee that they can sit together.
Then again, many say that solo travelers shouldn't be penalized for this by ultimately being asked to move in order to accommodate families.
One upside? The federal government is finally starting to get involved in the matter, which may soon make it a thing of the past.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has been pushing for airlines to change their policies on this for some time, and just this week, he announced that two of them are now on board.
And just yesterday, Frontier Airlines did the same. Now would be a good time for other airlines to follow suit.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 28, 2023
So far, American Airlines and Frontier Airlines have both offered guarantees that family members will be seated next to each other on flights without any additional fee.
"I appreciate American Airlines becoming the first US airline to commit to putting this guarantee in its customer service plan," Sec. Buttigieg tweeted on Tuesday. "And just yesterday, Frontier Airlines did the same. Now would be a good time for other airlines to follow suit."
